Saracens 13 Northampton 27: First half blitz sees Saints march to first Premiership final

Northampton took inspiration from shock FA Cup-winners Wigan to stun Saracens and reach the Aviva Premiership final for the first time.

This was a staggering triumph by the Saints. The fact that they had lost five previous semi-finals made this feat at the sixth time of asking that much more satisfying.

And the fact that it sets up a clash with their local rivals, Leicester, added another rewarding element to their feat at Allianz Park. The East Midlands clans will descend on Twickenham on May 25.

Familiar foe: Chris Ashton takes one in the eye against his former club

Victors: Tom May punches the air as Northampton booked their place in the Premiership final

Finalists: Saints players congratulate one another after the final whistle

The Saints came to the capital and conquered in a manner which no-one had anticipated. Jim Mallinder’s side were 17-0 up at half-time and the hosts were shattered. Saracens strove to make a match of the exhibition, but their toil was in vain.

So Northampton, who finished 12 points below their opponents in the table, trumped them when it most mattered. In the process, they prevented the team who finished top of the pile reaching the final for the first time since 2008. And this was the proof they craved that they had the mental resolve and nous to close out a major, high-stakes encounter.

Two years ago, Northampton were leading Leinster 22-6 at half-time in the Heineken Cup final, but subsided after the break to lose 33-22 at the Millennium Stadium. That memory struck Mallinder, who said: ‘At half-time, I made sure I didn’t say to the players what I was thinking — about Cardiff and Leinster. It was never mentioned, but you do think like that.’

As it turned out, the players did speak about it themselves, and the words of caution hardened their resolve to avoid a repeat.

Over: Jamie Elliott breaks clear to score Northampton's second try

What they succeeded in doing was emulate Wigan Athletic as underdog winners. After the Lancashire football club had beaten Manchester City at Wembley on Saturday, the Saints had their timely vision of what was possible. ‘Saracens finished first in the table and we finished fourth, they were at home and we hadn’t beaten a top-three side this season,’ said Mallinder. ‘They were the favourites today, but the favourites don’t always win. I was reminded of that by a lot of people after Wigan won.’

These favourites didn’t win through multiple failings of their own — not least a mis-firing lineout, a ransacked scrum, a torrent of handling errors and a lack of composure. But all that stemmed from Northampton pressure.

In that regard, two men stood apart. England hooker Dylan Hartley set the tone as captain with a colossal display of physical commitment. But even he was trumped by Samu Manoa. The American No 8 carried with purpose and smashed all-comers into oblivion.

It was his big hit on Chris Ashton that created the 21st-minute turn-over from which Hartley, Lee Dickson and Christian Day contrived to send Jamie Elliott hurtling off into the left corner.

Last-ditch tackle: Northampton's Ken Pisi is stopped just short of the line by England's Alex Goode

That was Northampton’s second try, just two minutes after the first, which came from a line-out catch-and-drive on the far side, rounded off by Brian Mujati. Stephen Myler converted both, and added a penalty in the 27th minute to put his side more than two scores ahead.

A brace of Owen Farrell penalties after the break hinted at a fightback, but that prospect faded rapidly when Dickson put GJ van Velze in the clear for a simple finish. Myler added the extra points.

Saracens tried to summon up a late surge and Duncan Taylor struck on the left, with Farrell (left) converting, but this was not their day. ‘It is massively disappointing,’ said their director of rugby, Mark McCall. ‘We made a lot of errors and poor choices in the first half, and gave ourselves a mountain to climb by half-time. Northampton were very good today.’

Spritely: Lee Dickson quickly manages to fire the ball from the ruck as Sarries look to pounce